Date released: April 04, 2024
April 4th 2024: Today the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced research funding of up to €14.5 million for new environmental research. The EPA is inviting proposals from the research community for innovative projects to support the development and implementation of environmental policies in Ireland.
Announcing the EPA funding call, Dr Eimear Cotter, Director of the Office of Evidence and Assessment said:
“The EPA is committed to funding excellent research to address knowledge gaps, build capacity and provide robust evidence to support the implementation of effective environmental policies in Ireland. We have recently announced an increase in the PhD stipend to €25,000 for EPA-funded students and now invite research proposals across a range of open themes focusing on funding medium- to longer-term research. In 2023, 40 per cent of awardees had not previously applied to the EPA for funding and we hope to see this trend continue in 2024.”
Areas of research include exploring global risks to Ireland achieving its climate and environmental goals; understanding vulnerabilities to climate change at a local level including climate attribution science related to extreme weather events in Ireland; how to accelerate our transition to a circular economy; the impact of a changing climate on our health; and how we can consider benefits to both nature and the economy in decision-making.
Dr Darragh O’Neill, EPA Research Manager, said,
“Building on last year’s call, which included a number of broad research themes and attracted a large proportion of new applicants, we are pleased to extend this approach in the EPA Research Call 2024. The call invites applications across a wider range and larger number of thematic areas, with funding available for up to four years in most of these areas. Recognising the environmental, economic and societal challenges associated with the green transition, we particularly encourage applicants to consider inter- and transdisciplinary projects with contributions from diverse research disciplines and sectors.”
The EPA Research Programme is a Government of Ireland initiative funded by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications. Under this year’s call, the EPA is delighted to be partnering with Met Éireann to co-fund projects in areas of mutual interest.
Notes to Editor
As part of its wide range of functions, the EPA manages a research programme that delivers essential scientific support for environmental policy development, implementation and broader decision making. The EPA has been funding research in Ireland since 1994 and is currently funding more than 200 on-going research projects. Further details about the 2024 EPA Research Call are available on the EPA website.
Supporting environmental policies: The Research Call is designed to support the implementation of environmental policies in Ireland including: the Climate Action Plan; National Climate Adaption Framework; Circular Economy Action Plans and Strategies; the Biodiversity National Action Plan the National Radon Control Strategy; National Land Use Evidence Review; UN Sustainable Development Goals’ Implementation Plan; as well as policies in the water and air protection areas.
Under its 2023 Research Call, the EPA announced €14.3 million of research funding for 33 research projects.
Research applications: EPA Research Calls are open to all types of organisations within Ireland. To apply for EPA funding, you must be registered on the EPA’s online Grant Application and Project Management system. Research Proposals must be submitted in response to one of the themes or topics included in the Call Descriptions.
Further details about the EPA Research Programme are on the EPA website.
The call timeframe is outlined below:
Call opening: 4th April 2024
Call submission deadline: 30th May 2024(16:00, Irish Standard Time)
November/December 2024: award of new projects
January 2025: Publication of the 2024 awards
Queries relating to the call: research@epa.ie
Further funding: Other EPA funding opportunities this year include EPA Fast-track to Policy Funding; Fulbright-EPA Scholarships and Fellowships; the Irish Research Council-EPA Postgraduate Scheme; as well as opportunities supported through EPA’s participation in European Partnerships. Details are available on our Research Funding webpage.
Contact: Emily Williamson, EPA Media Relations Office, 053-9170770 (24 hours) or media@epa.ie.
